Insights

Aiming to spend 1 day per week running the business is not a lot of time, so I chaired (or co-chaired) 4 weekly meetings that covered most things within my remit (sales, client service, strategy, operations - including HR and IT - and the general responsibilities of ownership). Here's what they covered.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked: “how do you know when it’s time to go it alone?” I’ve now been self-employed for 6 months (for the second time, after starting, growing and selling Rise at Seven) and I think there are 7 boxes you’ll want to tick (most of).

The current economic situation isn’t helping agencies…but it’s affecting some sectors even more profoundly. What do we do when we’re contracted to deliver for a client who sells something the public doesn't want to spend on right now? Or a client who can’t get the inventory?

Many of the agency owners I speak to wish they were free from the day-to-day so that they can focus on the agency’s strategy. They wish they weren’t required in the business, which would allow them to work on the business. But one thing in particular blurs the line between in the business and on the business: clients.

So you need to make a change - and it feels like a big one. A new PM system. A new hire. A new leader. Here's why you shouldn't tell your team too early.

Most weeks, I’m helping an agency to identify or develop their ICP, or Ideal Customer Profile. Their ICP is essentially a list of attributes shared by the types of client they are best placed to serve. But it takes two to tango.

This week’s post is a personal story with a practical lesson for any agency thinking about its office, so indulge me.

An organisational chart shows where departments sit and who manages who in your business. I’ll often ask to see an org chart or organogram at the beginning of an engagement because I can immediately guess what some of the firm’s challenges are likely to be.

SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats - is the industry standard for situational analysis. I learned about it in secondary school which, in hindsight, was probably the first clue that it’s not fit for purpose.

Most agencies have been told they "didn't understand the client's industry" at some point. Here's an example of what relevant experience means to a client (and why it might not be what we think).